Lifestyle

4 Advantages of Retrofitting a Building in a Seismic Zone

Published

3 years ago

July 19, 2022

When it comes to earthquake preparedness, one of the most important things you can do is retrofit your building. Retrofitting a building means making changes to improve its seismic performance. There are many advantages to retrofitting a building, including reducing damage in an earthquake and saving money on insurance premiums. This blog post will discuss the benefits of retrofitting a building in a seismic zone.

Experts agree that retrofitting is an excellent way to improve the seismic performance of a building. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), “retrofitting is arguably the single most important thing you can do to increase the safety of your home or business from an earthquake.” Pedram Zohrevand, a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers with extensive knowledge of safe property designs, believes that it is of the utmost importance to ensure your property is safe from natural disasters through retrofitting.

1. Reducing Damage

One of the advantages of retrofitting a building is that it can reduce damage in an earthquake. When a building is not correctly retrofitted, it is more likely to collapse during an earthquake. This can lead to injuries, fatalities, and costly property damage. Retrofitting a building can help prevent this type of damage by strengthening the structure to be better able to withstand the shaking of an earthquake.

In addition to reducing damage to the building itself, retrofitting can also help protect the contents of the building. In a non-retrofitted building, contents can shift during an earthquake and become damaged or broken. By retrofitting your building, you can help keep your belongings safe and reduce the amount of damage that occurs during an earthquake.

2. Saving Money

Another advantage of retrofitting a building is that it can save money on insurance premiums. Buildings not adequately retrofitted are considered high-risk, meaning they will have higher insurance premiums. Retrofitting your building can lower your insurance rates and save money on your premiums.

Retrofitting can also help you save money by preventing business interruptions. If a building is not retrofitted and suffers damage in an earthquake, the business housed in the building may have to close for repairs. This can result in lost revenue and customers. However, if the building is appropriately retrofitted, it is less likely to be damaged in an earthquake, which means the business can stay open and continue generating income.

3. Improves Value

A third advantage of retrofitting a building is that it can improve the property’s resale value. If you plan to sell your property in the future, retrofitting it will make it more attractive to potential buyers. Buyers will be willing to pay more for a property that has been properly retrofitted because they know that it is less likely to sustain damage in an earthquake.

Retrofitting can also help you lease your property more efficiently. Many tenants are now looking for properties that have been retrofitted because they want to be sure that their belongings will be safe in the event of an earthquake. By retrofitting your building, you can make it more attractive to potential tenants and improve your chances of leasing the property.

4. Peace of Mind

The fourth and final advantage of retrofitting a building is that it can give you peace of mind. Knowing that your property is less likely to be damaged in an earthquake can help you sleep better at night. Retrofitting your building will give you peace of mind knowing that you have taken steps to protect your property.

Final Thoughts

Retrofitting your building is an intelligent choice if you live in a seismic zone. It can reduce damage in an earthquake, save money on insurance premiums, improve the resale value of your property, and give you peace of mind. These are just a few advantages of retrofitting a building in a seismic zone.

If you want to retrofit your building, you should contact a professional to help you. They will know how to make your building stronger and less likely to collapse in an earthquake. Experts like Pedram Zohrevand believe that retrofitting is one of the best things you can do to protect your property from earthquakes. So if you live in a seismic zone, don’t wait – retrofit your building today!

Lifestyle

Wanda Knight on Blending Culture, Style, and Leadership Through Travel

Published

8 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Michelle Langton

The best lessons in leadership do not always come from a classroom or a boardroom. Sometimes they come from a crowded market in a foreign city, a train ride through unfamiliar landscapes, or a quiet conversation with someone whose life looks very different from your own.

Wanda Knight has built her career in enterprise sales and leadership for more than three decades, working with some of the world’s largest companies and guiding teams through constant change. But ask her what shaped her most, and she will point not just to her professional milestones but to the way travel has expanded her perspective. With 38 countries visited and more on the horizon, her worldview has been formed as much by her passport as by her resume.

Travel entered her life early. Her parents valued exploration, and before she began college, she had already lived in Italy. That experience, stepping into a different culture at such a young age, left a lasting impression. It showed her that the world was much bigger than the environment she grew up in and that adaptability was not just useful, it was necessary. Those early lessons of curiosity and openness would later shape the way she led in business.

Sales, at its core, is about connection. Numbers matter, but relationships determine long-term success. Wanda’s time abroad taught her how to connect across differences. Navigating unfamiliar places and adjusting to environments that operated on different expectations gave her the patience and awareness to understand people first, and business second. That approach carried over into leadership, where she built a reputation for giving her teams the space to take ownership while standing firmly behind them when it mattered most.

The link between travel and leadership becomes even clearer in moments of challenge. Unfamiliar settings require flexibility, quick decision-making, and the ability to stay calm under pressure. The same skills are critical in enterprise sales, where strategies shift quickly and no deal is ever guaranteed. Knight learned that success comes from being willing to step into the unknown, whether that means exploring a new country or taking on a leadership role she had not originally planned to pursue.

Her travels have also influenced her eye for style and her creative pursuits. Fashion, for Wanda, is more than clothing; it is a reflection of culture, history, and identity. Experiencing how different communities express themselves, from the craftsmanship of Italian textiles to the energy of street style in cities around the world, has deepened her appreciation for aesthetics as a form of storytelling. Rather than keeping her professional and personal worlds separate, she has learned to blend them, carrying the discipline and strategy of her sales career into her creative interests and vice versa.

None of this has been about starting over. It has been about adding layers, expanding her perspective without erasing the experiences that came before. Wanda’s story is not one of leaving a career behind but of integrating all the parts of who she is: a leader shaped by high-stakes business, a traveler shaped by global culture, and a creative voice learning to merge both worlds.

What stands out most is how she continues to approach both leadership and life with the same curiosity that first took her beyond her comfort zone. Each new country is an opportunity to learn, just as each new role has been a chance to grow. For those looking at her path, the lesson is clear: leadership is not about staying in one lane; it is about collecting experiences that teach you how to see, how to adapt, and how to connect.

As she looks to the future, Wanda Knight’s compass still points outward. She will keep adding stamps to her passport, finding inspiration in new cultures, and carrying those insights back into the rooms where strategy is shaped and decisions are made. Her legacy will not be measured only by deals closed or positions held but by the perspective she brought, and the way she showed that leading with a global view can change the story for everyone around you.